Edwaed stephens



(No Modell) E. STEPHENS. I

TUBULAR IRON RAILING.

Patented' Apr. 17,118.88.

unmgrahen Wnhingmn. D. C.

' UNITED .STATES l finally become separated.

EDWARD STEPHENS,

TuBuLARiRoN RAYlLlNG.V

PATENT: OFFICE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Leners Patent 19.381.289. dated Apru17.1888.

Application inea August s, isst. Serin Np. 246,398. (Nb modem To allwhom t may-concern: I

Be itknown thaty I, EDWARD STEPHENS, of Arlington, in the county ofHudson and .State of New Jersey,'have invented an Improvement in TubularIron Railing, of which the following is a speciiication. 1 In bridgesand elevated railway structures &c.,iron railings have been made withtubular posts and tubular rails, the posts having -I- andTcouplings,throughwhichthe tubular railsare passed, and efforts havebeenmade to connect the parts by wedges and nuts that are separate from vthewedges; but in practice it is found that the expansion and contractionofthe tubular rails loosen' the Wedges, and the nuts, be-V ing separate,are loose and shake,vso as to become u'nscrewed, -and the parts rattle,and

In my invention I combine, with the rails and posts, screw-nuts andsegmental wedges 'made in one, so that the nut portion tightens nearertogether.` Fig. 2 is an elevation de--Y tached, and Fig. 3 an endview ofthe combined nut and wedge. Fig. 4 is a section of a modification 'ofthe combined nut and wedge, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the same.

The columns or postsAare made withbase;` plates 2, tubes 3 and 4,+-shaped couplings 5, and T-shaped couplings 6, and'there are two,three, or more tubular rails, B.v Theposts shown are only adapted to tworails. `The hori Y zontal tubular portions coi' the couplings 5 and 6are sufficiently large fort-he tubular rails B to be freely slippedthroughthese tubular portions c, and. connected together at their endsbystraight couplings d; but in slippimgrthe Y tubes through the posts insuccessionv the combined nuts and wedges F are slipped on, so as toremain ready for use in clamping the posts and rails together, assoonras the parts have contracts. t N v l Neither the couplingnu't northe wedge is liable-tomove or become loose, as the nutpor 4 tionprevents the wedge being moved endwise `byy the expansion or contractionofthe rail, and

OEAELINGTON, NEW JERSEY, Assienoa TO'EDWAED o., sTErEENs, 0E sAMEPLAGE.` Y

v been putin place for the desired distance, so l v that the partsremain'loose andina condition to be easily placed and adjusted untiliready for being clamped. In consequence'ofthc .tubu-l lar portions cbeing larger Ain internal diameter than the rails B are in externaldiameter,

the tubular rails can berinserted yand slipped along through' three or`yf our of the vertical a;

posts without displacing such posts, the parts springing slightly toallow `this to be done.

Each combined nut and tubular wedge Fris yformed of one piece, thetubular Wedgekpor-` tion 15 having longitudinal incisions or sawcuts,that allow the segments to befforcedor sprung toward each other inclamping the pipe,

and the nutfpo'rtion 16 is adapted to screwinto c, as in Figs/1 and 5.Under either constructionV j the nut and tubular wedge are inonepiece,land the tubulanwedge, when forced into the the end of the coupling-tubec, as in Figs.` 1, r2, and 3, or upon the outside of the coupling-tube 1end` ofthe coupling-tube' c, is closedaround. l

theypipe or rail-B sniiiciently to .graspfthe same and preventlooseness; butfitshould'not be so tightly screwed as to prevent the .endmovement of rail B the weight of the rail and the contact thereof withvthe inside of thetubplar wedgeprevent `the wedgeorynut revolving andunscrewing.

The expansion-joint H should beintroduced.

f inthe rails B about every three hundred' feet,`

more or less. This joint'is composedof` the' i tube 8, connected by areducer, 9, toone end of one tubular rail, and the vend of the adjacenttubular rail is within this tube 8, andthere is lar rail,and the sanneis screwed into the inside of the tube 8, or by preference intotheinside of the coupling 10. By this construction the parts' are free toexpand or contract bytheA end movement Within the tube 8.

y The ends, of the tubular portions .c of ,.the..

come 'into contact with, and these surfacesare roo .7sy as thelnetalexpands or A a combined nut and wedge,F,around thistubu- Y andcouplings, and the tubular rails passing through the coupling,of thereducer 9,the tube 8, and the combined nut and tubular wedge, forming anexpansion joint, substantially as l5 set forth.

Signed by me this 4th day of August, A, D.

. EDWARD STEPHENS. Witnesses:

" LEMUEL W. SERRELL,

WILLIAM G. MoTT.

